Tire inflating and deflating apparatus



Nov. 24, 1936. w. A. HARRIS TIRE INFLATING AND DEFLATING APPARATUS FiledMarch 26, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WA.Harr.w, BY will AnoRNEY Nov.24, 1936. w. A. HARRIS TIRE INFLATING AND DEFLA'IING APPARATUS 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 26, 1931YI/III/III/Il/III/IIII/II/IIIIIIII/IIIII/z WITNESSES INVENTORlVf/Llarri-s ATTORNEY Nov. 24, 1936. w. A. HARRIS TIRE INFLATING ANDDEFLATING APPARATUS Filed March 26, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 mllllllfw m" lA hula INVENTOR WA.Ha rrz8, BY 19 ATTORNEY WITNESSESaM Nov. 24, 1936. w.A. HARRIS TIRE INFLATING AND DEFLATING APPARATUS Filed March 26, 1931 5Sheets-Sheet 4 w v it; 2 9a & 93 v E a 5 a n6 flw 0 \twn WITNESSESATTORNEY Nov. 24, 1936. w. A. HARRIS 2,062,220

TIRE INFLATING AND DEFLATING APPARATUS Filed March 26, 1931 5SheetsSheet 5 INVENTOR wnmzssrz 8 711A ffizrrz's, BY 71' Mi.

ATTORN EY Patented Nov. 24, 1938 UNITED STATES TIRE INFLATIN G ANDDEFLATING APPARATUS William A. Harris, Grecnville, S. 0.

Application March 28,

5 Claims.

My invention relates to pneumatic tire inflating and deflatingapparatus, and is an improvement of the form of device disclosed in myapplication flied July 26, 1927, Serial No. 208,612, new Patent No.1,805,397, granted May 12, 1931.

It is an object of my invention to provide an apparatus wherein quickand accurate inflation or deflation of a tire may be accomplished by asingle application of the air hose chuck to a valve stem of a tire.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tire inflating ordeflating apparatus wherein an air control mechanism is actuated throughthe medium of air pressure, thereby positively causing a predetermined.quantity of air to pass to or from a tire.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an inflating anddeflating apparatus having pneumatically operated signal means operableto emit an audible intermittent signal during tire inflation, and acontinuous audible signal during deflating operation. I

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an apparatuswhich when associated with a tire will inflate a tire to a predeterminedpressure, if under inflated, or to deflate a tire to a predeterminedpressure if over inflated.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an apparatuswhich will inflate or deflate a tire to a desired pressure with greataccuracy and speed and without the use of separate pressure gauges.

Additional objects, advantages and features of the invention reside inthe construction, arrangement and combinations of parts as hereindescribed, claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, whereinFigure 1 is a perspective view of my tire inflating and deflatingapparatus.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the upper portion of the apparatus, withparts of the casing removed to illustrate the interior mechanism.

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3-4 of Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical section illustrating the control mechanism andmanual setting means therefor.

Figure 5 is a cross section thereof on the line 55.

Figure 6 is a cross section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Figure 7 is a cross section on the line (-1 of Fig. 6.

Figure 8 is a cross section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5.

1931, Serial No. 525,564

Figure 9 is a cross section substantially on the line 8-9 of Fig. 6.

Figure 10 is a front elevation of the manual setting means for theapparatus.

Figure 11 is a cross section through the pres- 5 sure adjusting valveillustrating the position of its ports with the manual setting meansmoved to the left, as shown in Fig. 10.

Figure 12 is a similar view illustrating the position of the ports withthe setting means in 10 neutral position.

Figure 13 is a further view thereof illustrating the position ofthe-ports when the setting means are moved to the right, as shown inFig. 10. 1

Figure 14 is a detail perspective view of the air distributing valve.

Figure 15 is a cross section of the valve taken on the line l5-l5 ofFig. 11.

Figure 16 is a perspective view of a cap to 20 be associated with thedistributing valve and forming a connection with the manual settingmeans.

' Figures 17 and 18 are detailed perspective views illustrating a latchsleeve and plunger thereof, respectively.

Figure 19 is a perspective view of the whistle valve plunger.

Figure 20 is a perspective view of the piston valve. 30

Reference is first made to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings. Incarrying out my invention I make use of any well known form of base Inconstituting a reel housing ll confining an air hose l2, to which thereis attached the usual tire valve chuck l3. From the housing ll, anupstanding rectangular casing i4 is secured, and upon one face thereofthere is mounted a pressure gauge l5 connected to a main air pressuretank (not shown). This gauge will indicate the air pressure within themain pressure tank, at all times.

An air control unit, generally indicated by the reference character I6is mounted within a circular casing i'l secured in any suitable manner45 to the upper end of the casing H. The casing Il comprises anenlongated central passage l8 closed at its upper end by a partition l9,and this partition with the casing I'I defines an auxiliary air chamber20. The chamber 20 may be constructed in accordance with the disclosuremade in my pending application, Serial No. 208,612, now Patent No.1,805,397, granted May 12, 1931.

The unit It is positioned within the passage 55 l3 at its lower part,and at the upper part thereof I provide a pressure gauge 2| of any wellknown construction. The pressure gauge 2| is connected to the auxiliaryair chamber 29 by the pipe 22 and the unit I3 is connected to theauxiliary chamber by the pipe 23 as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

An indicator needle 24 is operatively associated withthc gauge 2| and isreadable upon the dial 25 through the dial glass 23 of the casing l1.

If found desirable, the dial 25 may be illuminated, and in the presentinstance, I have illustrated an incandescent lamp 21 mounted within thepassage l3. The lamp may have any suitable source of energy.

The passage I9 is open to the rear of the casing H but may be closed bya removable plate, thus permitting ready access to the parts containedthercwithin for repairs or adjustments as required.

The casing I1 is suitably apertured as at 23 to permit the exit of theaudible signals from the casing.

Attention is now directed to Figs. 4, '1, 8 and 9 of the drawings for anunderstanding of the construction of the unit IS. The unit |3 comprisesa main cylindrical body 29 and cap member 39. each of these membershaving flanges 3| and 32 respectively, suitably apertured for receptionof screws 33 for firmly clamping the body and cap upon an interposedcircular diaphragm 34.

The main body 29 is formed with a circular chamber 35 extending inwardlyfrom the planiform face of the flange 3| for a suitable distance, and incommunication with this chamber there is an axial bore 36, having areduced portion 31. The outer end of the body 29 has a boss 33, andthrough this boss there is a bore 39 in axial alignment with bore 33.The boss 38 is provided with external threads for seourement of a cap 49and within the bore 39 there is a plunger valve 4| having a stem portion42. The forward end of the plunger 4| is reduced as at 43, andimmediately in advance thereof, the plunger has a tapered portion 44adapted to seat within a similar shaped seat of the bore 31. From theportion 44 the plunger is continued as a pin 45 extending through thebore 31 and projecting a short distance into the bore 36 The plungerva-ve H is normally held seated in the bore 31, by a helical spring 43interposed between the cap 40 and plunger 4|.

Within the bore 33 there is a slide valve 41 having -a concentricshoulder 48 and threaded extremity 49. The extremity 49 is insertedthrough an aperture formed centrally of the diaphragm 34 and reinforcingplates 59 and 5| are disposed upon opposite sides of the diaphragm. Theslide valve 41 is secured to the diaphragm by a nut 52 engaged upon thethreaded portion 49.

From the above description it will be apparent that as the diaphragm isflexed the valve 41 will be given-a reciprocating motion, as will beexplained in greater detail hereinafter.

The valve 41 has an axial port 53 in communication with a port 54 at theforward end of the valve, and a port 55 at the rear thereof openingthrough the side of the valve for registry with a port 55 formed in theboss 51.

An air supply conduit 59, leading from the main pressure tank isthreadedly engaged in a bore 59 which opens into the bore 39 immediatelyadjacent the reduced portion 43 of the plunger 4|. A port 30 is also incommunication with the bore 59, this port extending through the body 29as shown clearly in Fig. 4, and opens upon the flange 3| forregistration with a similar port 39a formed in the cap 30, and apertureformed in the diaphragm 34.

An audible signal 9|, in the present instance shown as a whistle, ismounted in a threaded bore 32 formed in the body 29. The mounting of thewhistle 3| is effected by way of the threaded plug 33 engaged in thebore 32. The plug 33 is provided with a central port 34 and terminatesin a seat 95.

A reciprocable whistle valve 39 is slidably mounted in a bore 91, thisbore being formed so as to extend in axial alignment with the port 34 ofthe plug 33.

One end of the valve 33 is provided with a leather or composition valvedisk 33 adapted to seat upon the seat 35, and the valve is furtherprovided with a flat face 39 extending throughout its length, permittingpassage of air therethrough to operate the whistle 3|, at times.

In order to move the valve 33 into seated and unseated. engagement withthe seat 95 the valve has a reduced portion 19 and head 1|. A flat leafspring 12, suitably mounted upon the base of the chamber 34, asindicated at 13, is provided, the free end thereof resting upon the head1| and exerts a pressure tending to hold the valve disk 39 against theseat 95. A trip lever 14 rockably mounted upon a fulcrum block 15carried by the bottom wall of the chamber 34 is provided having one end13 engaged beneath the head 1|, while the other end 11 of the lever 14is associated with a latch member now to be described.

A latch 13 reciprocably mounted in a bore 19 formed longitudinally ofthe body 29 and in the same horizontal plane as the valve 33, isprovided, and comprises a cylindrical sleeve 39 closed at one end as at3|. The sleeve 90 has formed therein a slot 92, through which the end 11of the lever 14 projects. Within the sleeve 30 there is a cylindricalplunger93 having an elongated slot 34, and within said slot, a dog 95 ispivotally mounted. A flat leaf spring 93 is secured in the seat 91, andis tensioned so as to bear upon the dog and swing it so as to overliethe end 11 of the lever 14. In order to hold the latch 13 in its properoutward position, I employ a hellcal spring 89, which is interposedbetween the closed end 3| oi the sleeve and the plunger 93.

Adjustment of the latch 19 longitudinally within the bore 19 isaccomplished through the screw 39 threadedly engaged in the housing 29.Adjusting the screw 99 inwardly toward the diaphragm will consequentlymove the latch 18 in the same direction.

The dog 95 in the present instance includes a heel 99 adapted to lie inthe slot 92 for cooperation with the shoulder 9|, as will appearhereinafter.

A headed stud 92 is carried by the plate 50 projecting in the directionof the lever 14, the head thereof being disposed beneath the lever 14closely adjacent the valve 53, so that motion will be transmitted to thevalve 93 upon flexing action of the diaphragm. The body 29 is recessedas at 93 to accommodate rearward movement of the stud 92.

Attention is now directed to Fig. 8 wherein it will be seen that themain body 29 also includes an air port 94 which is in communication withthe bore 33, through a port 95. Air for inflating a tire is dischargedthrough the ports 94 and 95 to an air line 93 which is suitablyconnected to the air hose I2.

The cap member 30 as previously stated is secured to the 'main body 29,and is suitably recessed as at 91 which together with the diaphragm 34forms a chamber 98. The cap 30 is also recessed as at 99 to accommodatethe rearward movement of the valve 41 as will occur during operation ofthe apparatus.

In order to permit passage of air from the auxiliary chamber 20 to thechamber 98, an air port I is provided, within which the air line 23 issecured as at I0 I.

The cap 30 has a circular boss I02 formed concentrically therewith andalso includes a valve seat I03 having air ports I04, I05, I06 and I01.The air port I04 is in communication with the air port 60a and 60; theport I05 is in communication with the chamber 35 through ports I08 andI09 (see Fig. 9) the port I06 opens directly into the chamber 91 andport I01 opens to the atmosphere through port IIO.

A manually operable control valve III, is provided, which in the presentinstance is in the form of a circular disk having longitudinal ports H2,H3 and H4, connected by a transverse port H5. The ports H2, H3 and H4are'-.positioned so as to register with ports I04 to I01, as shown inFigs. 11 to 13, inclusive and thus control passage of air, as will beexplained more fully hereinafter.

The valve II I is oscillatably mounted within a bore II6 of a casingII1, the face of the boss I02 being machined to form a tight fit with anannular flange I I8 of the casing I I1. The casing is bolted to the cap30 by suitable machine screws, as indicated at H9.

The casing I I1 is provided with external screw threads I20, immediatelyin advance of the flange II8 which cooperate with screw threads formedin the front face of the casing I1. A look nut I2I screwed upon thethreads H9 and snugly abutting the casing I1 secures theunit I6 withinthe casing I1.

As clearly shown in Figs. 4, 8 and 9, the valve III is mounted within acap I22 disposed in the bore II6, with the ports I04-I01 presentedtoward the valve face I03. The cap I22 has a transverse slot I23receiving a tongue I24 of a shaft I25 oscillatably mounted in the casingH1.

The bore II6 of the casing II1 has a shoulder I26 against which a collarI21 formed integrally with the shaft I25 abuts, and between suchshoulder and the cap I22 there is positioned a helical spring I28. Fromthe foregoing, it will be seen that the spring I28 maintains the valveIII in seating engagement upon the seat I03.

A circular plate I29 is secured to the outer end of the casing as at I30being centrally apertured to permit passage of the shaft I25. An arcuateslot I3I is formed in the plate (see Figs. 4 and adapted to receive apin I32 formed upon a handle I33 which is keyed to the shaft I25. At apoint diametrically opposite the slot I3I the plate I29 has a stud I34formed upon its rear side, and upon this stud a tension spring I35 ismounted. The spring I35 has a pair of leg members I36 which are crossedand extended downwardly so as to partly encircle the casing I I1, theextremities of the legs lying in the path of the pin I32. Thus, when thehandle I33 is swung in either a left or right direction, one of thespring legs I36 will be encountered, tensioning such leg, so that uponrelease of the handle, the spring will return the handle to a neutralposition.

The slot I3I is of such length that when the pin I32 reaches thetermination thereof, either upon the left or right hand limits thereof,ports between the valve III and valve seat I03 will be aligned:

In order to insure delivery of clean dry air to the unit I6, a condenserI31. is installed in the pipe line 58. The condenser may be of anyapproved construction, but in the present instance I have shown a battleI38 disposed in the path of the incoming air and a screen I39 across theoutlet thereof. For draining the condenser of sediment a screw plug I40is shown.

The chambers 35 and 98 will be referred to as "fluctuating" and"equalizing" chambers, respectively, in the description of the operationdevice and in the claims.

The operation We will assume that the machine is assembled, and that thesupply tank pressure is connected to the machine, and that all thepartsare in their normal position. At this time the supply valve M is onits seat and no air can pass from the supply line 58 into the serviceline 96. The port 60 in the main body 29 is charged with supply tankpressure, but the port I04 in the valve seat I03 is closed by the valveIII. The dial pointer 24 is at zero. Now to set the machine to a desirepressure, ready for service, the lever I33 is moved to its extreme lefthand position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 10. In this position theports II2-I I3-I I4 in the face of the valve III register with the portsthe valve seat I03, permitting the air pressure from the supply tankline 58 to pass up through the port I04 and through the port II2, intothe transverse port II5 formed in the valve III, and down through theports II3-II4 through the ports I05-I06; and from the port I06 into theequalizing chamber 98. From the port I05 the air passes into thefluctuating chamber 35 (see Fig. 9). As the air passes into theequalizing chamber 98, it also passes on through the port I00 (see Fig.4) and on through the pipe 23, into the auxiliary air chamber 20 (seeFigs. 1 and 4). As the air pressure enters the auxiliary chamber 20 itwill cause the pressure gauge pointer to move clockwise on the dial I5,which shows the amount of pressure contained in the auxiliary andequalizing chamber. When the pointer 24 registers or indicates thedesired pressure, the lever I33 is released. It will automaticallyreturn to normal position by the spring I35 (see Fig. 10).

The purpose of the ports I05-I08-I09 is to equalize the pressure in thechambers 35 and 98, while the lever I 33 is in the left hand position.There is no air connection betweenthese two chambers at any other time.The reason for connecting the chamber 98 with the chamber 35 while theair pressure is being admitted to or raised in the chamber 98 and theauxiliary cham ber 20, is to prevent the pressure in the chamber 98 frombecoming greater than the pressure in the chamber 35, which would resultin putting the machine into operation, the same as if a tire was beinginflated. Thus it will be seen that when the lever I33 is in its lefthand position, the air pressure from the supply tank line 58 ispermitted to pass through the pressure adjusting valve III into thechamber 98 and into the auxiliary cham- -ber 20, and into the chamber35, and on through the port 55 in the valve 41 through the port 53 andfrom this point into the service line 96, by reason of the port 95 (seeFig. 8). Therefore, it will be seen, that when the lever I33 is in itslefthand position, theair from the supply line 58 supply valve 4|.

phragm and its valve will push the supply valve feeds into the chambers35, 98 and 20, and the air pressure in the service line 96 does not passthrough the supply valve 4|, since the supply valve 4| remains seatedwhile the machine is being set for higher or lower pressures. To releaseor lower the pressure in the auxiliary chamber '20 and the equalizingchamber 98, the lever I33 is moved to the extreme right hand position.In this position the air passes from the auxiliary chamber 20 throughthe pipe 28 through the port |00 into the chamber 88, andup through portI08 in the valve seat I03 through the port 2 in the valve into thetransverse port 5, down through the port 8 through the port I01 and outthrough the exhaust port 0 which opens to the atmpsphere. This passage01' the air causes the pointer 24 to move anti-clockwise on the dial. Itwill be understood that the pointer is adjusted to any position on thedial by air pressure, and that the pressure is controlled and adjustedby operating the lever I33 which operates the pressure adjusting valveIII.

In this machine, I provide means for greatly increasing the speed ofinflation of a tire, this increased speed being obtained by thearrangement of the two chambers 35 and 98 and associated diaphragm, aswill now be described. With the diaphragm 34 in normal position the endof the valve 41 is resting against the stem 45 of the supply valve 4|,and the port 55 is opened to the chamber 35. The slotted latch plunger83 is held against the diaphragm washer 50 by the spring 88 and that theheel 98 of the latch is spaced from the shoulder 9|. The whistle valve56 is on its seat. With the parts in their normal position the port 56is closed by the valve 141, but the port 55 is opened, which connectsthe air pressure in the service line with the fluctuating chamber 35.When the machine is set for any pressure desired and is at rest, a likepressure exists in the chambers 20, 35 and 98, and in the service line96. It will therefore be seen that by the least reduction of airpressure in the service line 96 and the chamber 35, which is connectedby the ports 53 and 55, results in the diaphragm and its valve movingtowards the The first movement of the dia- 4| off its seat, to a smallextent. This same first movement of the diaphragm would also move theplunger 83 in the same direction. The dog which moves with the plunger83 will move the end 11 of the lever 14 in the same direction, whichwould move the other end of the lever I4 in the opposite direction tounseat the Whistle valve 66, which permits the air from the chamber 35to pass through the port 64 and the whistle 6| to the atmosphere. Thispassage of the air reduces the pressure in the chamber 35 greatly belowthat contained in the chamber 98, thus causing the diaphragm and itsvalve to move faster and with more power, in the same direction untilthe heel of the dog 85 comes in contact with the shoulder 9|, whichdisengages the dog from the lever 14. This allows the whistle valve 66to seat, At this time the port 55 begins to register with the port 55 sothat the pressure in the service line 96, which is now considerably morethan that contained in the chamber 98 rushes up through the port 53 andthrough ports 55-56 into the chamber 35, quickly raising the pressure inthe chamber 35 above that contained in the chamber 98. Such actioncauses the diaphragm 34 and its valve to return to normal position,ready for another stroke, as soon as the excess pressure in the serviceline 08 passes into a tire.

Attention is now invited to Figs. 4 and 'l for an understanding of thewhistle valve adjustment. The purpose of the block 58, which is threadedinto the main body 28, is to adjust the valve 88 so that it will bemoved of! its seat on the slightest movement 01' the diaphragm 34 andits valve towards the supply valve 4|, as much depends on this whistlevalve being unseated at the proper time, as the very first movement ofthe diaphragm closes the port 55. The further movement 01 the diaphragmand valve in the same direction, depends on the air in the fluctuatingchamber 35 being vented to the atmosphere, which is accomplished by theunseating of the whistle valve 88, to allow the air to pass from thechamber 35. The air passes by means of the flat side 68 of the whistlevalve, through the whistle port 84, and through the whistle 6|, to theatmosphere. It will be seen that the whistle valve performs threefunctions: As when inflating a tire it allows air to escape from thechamber 98 to sound an intermittent signal; escapement of air from thechamber 35 causes the machine to work by a series of strokes, whichgives the machine the greatest possible speed; and when deflating atire, this same whistle valve allows the air to escape from the chamber35, causing a continuous blast of the signal until the tire is deflateddown to the pressure at which the machine was set. Thus it will be seenthat thev movement of the whistle valve at the proper time, to preventthe air from the chamber 98 has much to do with the movements of theother parts of the machines.

I will now explain the operation of the machine when a tire is beinginflated. The pointer 24 is set to the desired pressure by the leverI33, as has already been explained. We will say that the pointer is setat 40 lbs. which would mean that there would be 40 lbs. pressure in theequalizing chamber 98, and 40 lbs. pressure in the auxiliary chamber 20.There would also be 40 lbs. pressure in the service line 96 (see Figs. 2and 4). There might be lbs. pressure, or more, in the supply tank butthis makes no difierence, as the tank pressure at this time, is entirelyseparate from the service line pressure by the supply valve 4|. Now withall the parts in their normal position and the machine set at 40 lbs.pressure ready to inflate a tire up to that presssure, the tire chuck 3associated with the service line hose, is placed firmly upon the valvestem associated with the tire to be inflated. If the pressure in thetire is less than that indicated by the pointer 24, the air in theservice line 96 would flow into the tire. This would reduce or lower thepressure in the fluctuating chamber 35, through the port 53 and the port55 in the valve 41 (see Fig. 4). The instant that the pressure in thechamber 35 is reduced below the pressure in the chamber 98, thediaphragm 34 is moved towards the lesser pressure in the chamber 35, andat the same time, the diaphragm washer 50 moves the plunger 83 againstits spring 88. The dog 85 is pivoted in the slotted plunger 83, and isheld against the end 11 01' the lever 14 by a flat spring 86. Thewhistle valve lever 14 is pivoted as shown, one end of this leverengaging in the groove 10 and the other end is engaged by the dog 85,except when the dog is thrown out of engagement by coming in contactwith the shoulder 9|. Thus, it will be apparent that on the leastmovement of the diaphragm 34 towards the chamber 35, the whistle valve83 is moved 01! its seat by the lever 14. With the valve 66 unseated,air will escape from the chamber 35 through the whistle iii to theatmosphere. A very slight movement of the diaphragm valve 41 crosses orlaps the port 55, so there is at this time no connection between theservice line pressure and the pressure in the chamber 35. The whistlevalve 66 is held oflf its seat until the port 55 is just about toregister with the port 53, but just at this time the diaphragm 34has'flexed, releasing the lever 14 and allowing the whistle valve 66 toseat automatically by the spring 12. It should be remembered that whileall these movements of the parts are taking place (which all happen inan instant) the diaphragm 34 has been flexed, because the pressure inthe chamber 35 has been greatly reduced below the pressure in thechamber 98, and that the stem 45 has moved the valve 4| from its seat,by encountering the forward end ofthe valve 41. This action has admittedair from the supply tank into the service line 96, and raised thepressure from the original 40 lbs..'"to about 80 or 90 lbs., whichresults in much faster inflation.

Now, just when the supply valve 4| has been pushed almost wide open, thedog 85 is disengaged or tripped and the whistle valve 66 seats.

Then on just a litae further movement of the valve 41, the small port 55registers with the port 55. This allows the higher pressure in theservice line 96 to rush through the port 53 and through the ports 55 and58, into the chamber 35. This quickly raises the pressure in the chamber35 to or above that in the equalizing chamber 98, which forces thediaphragm 34 back to normal position which allows the supply valve 4| toseat. The excess pressure in the service line 96 flows quick- 1y intothe tire, even though the pressure in the service line is somewhat lowerthan that in the chamber 98. The action just described, will, of coursestart the machine on another stroke, the strokes quickly following oneanother, until the pressure in the tire has become the same as thatcontained in the chamber 93.

It will be understood that in an inflating operation, the first movementof the diaphragm 34 is brought about by the reduction of pressure in theservice line 96, but a greater and more powerful movement is obtained byventing the air from the chamber 35, to the atmosphere by means of thewhistle valve 66. It will be seen that the whistle valve is off its seatwhile the port 55 is lapped, and that the whistle valve returns to itsseat just as the port 55 begins to register with the port 55, so it canbe clearly seen that the varying pressure in the service line and thefluctuating chamber sets the diaphragm and associated valve in motion,

and that this motion is further and more fully controlled by the whistlevalve and the ports 55- 55. This reciprocating movement of the diaphragmin one direction, unseats the supply valve 4| which permits the highpressure from the supply tank to rush into the service line 99, whichresults in bringing about an alternating pressure in the service line,which greatly increases the speed of inflating a tire.

Considering the deflating operation, we will say that the machine is setat 40 lbs. as previously described, and that a tire which is supposed toneed inflating, already has 45 or more pounds of air in it. The chuck l3on the end of the service line is placed on the valve stem of the tirevalve, the valve thereof being unseated by the chuck l3. The pressure inthe tire being greater than that in the service line 96 and greater thanthat in the equalizing chamber. 98, the result is, that the air from thetire rushes into and through the service line 96, into the machine. Theair from the tire passes up through the port 53 of the valve 41 and outthrough the small port 55 into the fluctuating chamber 35. Thisadditional air forces the diaphragm 34 towards the chamber 93, and atthe same time the headed stud 92 operates the lever 14, which lifts thewhistle valve 66 OH its seat. From the chamber 35 the excess pressurepasses through the valve 66, by reason of the flat side 69. and outthrough the whistle to the atmosphere, thus causing a continuous blastof the whistle.

When the pressure in the tire has become the same as that in theequalizing chamber 93, the diaphragm 34 and the whistle valve 66 returnto their normal positions, and the whistle ceases to function.

When the tire is being inflated, the whistle valve 66 is unseated andseated on each fluctuation of the diaphragm, which causes anintermittent sound of the whistle. When the machine is deflating a tirethe whistle valve 66 is unseated by the stud 92, and remains unseated,causing a continuous blast of the whistle, until the pressure in thetire has become the same as that contained in'the equalizing chamber 38,or the same as that which the machine is set for.

What is claimed is:

1. In a tire inflating and deflating apparatus, a casing provided with achamber, a pressure responsive element dividing said chamber into afluctuating compartment and an equalizing compartment, a valve casingconnected with a source of air under pressure, conduits connecting thevalve casing with the equalizing compartment and with the fluctuatingcompartment, a valve in the valve casing for controlling thesimultaneous flow of air to the fluctuating compartment and to theequalizing compartment for creating simultaneous equal pressures uponopposite sides of the diaphragm and thereafter cutting oiT communicationbetween said compartments and the source of air, means for placing thefluctuating compartment in communication with an inner tube therebylowering the pressure in the fluctuating compartment whereby thediaphragm will flex, a valve operated by the flexing diaphragm to admitair directly to the fluctuating compartment from the source and avalve-controlled audible signal operated intermittently by air from thefluctuating compartment when the diaphragm is flexed.

2. In a tire inflating and deflating apparatus, a casing provided with achamber, a pressure responsive element dividing said chamber into afluctuating compartment and an equalizing compartment, a valve casingconnected with a source of air under pressure, conduits connecting thevalve casing with the equalizing compartment and with the fluctuatingcompartment,,a valve in the casing for controlling the simultaneous flowof air to the fluctuating compartment and to the equalizing chamber forcreating simultaneously equal pressures upon opposite sides of thediaphragm and thereafter cutting off communication between saidcompartments and the source of air, means for placing the fluctuatingcompartment in communication with an inner tube, thereby lowering thepressure in the fluctuating compartment whereby the diaphragm will flex,a valve for controlling the admission of air directly to the fluctuatingcompartment from the source, a slidable means connected with thediaphragm for opening the last-mentioned valve and having a passage forconducting the air admitted by this second valve directly to thefluctuating compartment in such quantity as to quickly raise thepressure in the fluctuating compartment, said slidable means beingadapted to cut of! communication between the passage therein and thefluctuating chamber, an audible signal operated intermittently by airfrom the fluctuating compartment when the diaphragm is flexed, a valvefor controlling the flow of air from the fluctuating chamber to thesignal, and means actuated by the diaphragm for opening the audiblesignal valve after communication has been cut oil between the passage inthe slidable means and the fluctuating compartment.

3. In a tire inflating and deflating apparatus, a casing having achamber, a flexible partition dividing said chamber into a fluctuatingcompartment and an equalizing compartment; a valve casing connected witha source of air under pressure, conduits connecting the valve casingwith the equalizing compartment and with the fluctuating compartment, avalve in the valve casing for controlling the simultaneous flow of airto the fluctuating compartment and to the equalizing compartment forcreating equal pressures in the two compartments and thereafter cuttingof! communication between said compartments and the source of air, meansconnected with the fluctuating compartment for placing said compartmentin communication with an inner tube so that when the pressure in thetube is greater than the pressure in the fluctuating chamber thepartition will be moved towards the equalizing chamber, a pneumaticallyoperated signal, a conduit connecting the signal with the fluctuatingchamber, a valve contr'olling the flow of air through the last-mentionedconduit to the signal, an operating means for the last-mentioned valve,and means adapted to engage and set the operating means in motion foropening the valve when the partition is flexed towards the equalizingchamber.

4. In a tire inflating and deflating apparatus, a casing provided with asole chamber, a pressure responsive element dividing said chamber into afluctuating compartment and an equalizing compartment, means forsupplying simultaneously the two, compartments with compressed air atthe same degree oi. pressure, means for connecting the fluctuatingcompartment with the valve stem or an inner tube for supplying the tubewith air whereby the pressure in the fluctuating compartment will belowered and the pressure responsive element will be moved towards thefluctuating chamber, a pneumatically operated signal actuatedperiodically by the compressed air in the fluctuating chamber, a valvefor controlling the flow 01' air to the whistle, a spring-pressedplunger, a dog pivotally mounted in the plunger, a pivotally mountedlever having one end engageable with the valve and the other endengageable with the dog for retaining the valve normally closed, one endof the plunger-being located adjacent the responsive element so thatwhen said element is moved the plunger will be reciprocated tor rockingthe dog and lever to open the valve to the signal, and means actuated bythe moving responsive element for admitting air under pressure from thesource.

5. In a tire inflating and deflating apparatus, a source of compressedair, a casing having a chamber, a diaphragm dividing the chamber into anequalizing compartment and a fluctuating compartment, means for causingthe two compartments to be supplied with air under pressure from thesource, adjustable means for limiting the pressure to which saidequalizing compartment is to be ultimataely charged and the fluctuatingcompartment is to be initially charged,

a pneumatically actuated signaleans for causing said signal to beoperated y air from the fluctuating compartment and including a fixedcylinder having a shoulder, a plunger in the cylinder, a spring forurging the plunger outwardly of the cylinder to be engaged by thediaphragm when said diaphragm is flexed by lowering of pressure in thefluctuating compartment, a dog pivoted on the plunger and having a heelengageable with the shoulder for rocking said dog, a valve forcontrolling the flow of air to the signal, and means between the valveand dog and adapted to be oscillated when the dog is rocked for movingthe last-mentioned valve to open communication between the signal andthe fluctuating compartment.

WILLIAM A. HARRIS.

